Four layer polymeric mode polarization filter for integrated optics

We report on our systematic study of fabrication and characterization of four-layer polymer waveguides. Various optical properties (such as refractive index, birefringence, and propagation loss) of polycarbonate and polystyrene waveguides are presented. The thin film structure consisting of glass/polycarbonate/polystyrene/air has been used for demonstrating polarization filter action because the two polymers are quite different with respect to their optical anisotropy. Modal electric field plots for both TE and TM are generated to support the observed behavior. It is also observed that the four-layer lightguide exhibits relatively low loss values compared to the monolayer configuration.